


I'll Protect You

by mrc2



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Black Paladin Keith (Voltron), Cuban Lance (Voltron), Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gay Keith (Voltron), In later chapters - Freeform, Lance (Voltron) Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Original Character(s), Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Red Paladin Lance (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2019-02-07 18:37:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12847107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrc2/pseuds/mrc2
Summary: "A llama thing?" Lance asked through his giggles as he took the egg off of him, "It's an egg, Keith. Llamas are mammals.""A platypus is too but they lay eggs." Keith retorted."But llamas don't.""How do you know space llamas don't lay eggs?"-- Lance finds an egg and decides to adopt it. It may bring a few bad consequences their way but, well, it's just an egg. No harm done, right?





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> so, this is basically something more light-hearted for a few chapters. i need soft lance and a baby alien in my life.

"I'm gonna be a mama." Lance grinned, holding a large egg close to his chest. 

They'd met up with the leaders of a new planet, ready to add to the Voltron alliance. However, on the way back to the lions after successfully winning the aliens over, they'd come across a pile of destroyed eggs in what looked to be a nest made of pebbles and hot, steaming water. Or, well, more like Pidge tripped over and almost fell face first into a pile of egg shells. Lance, having looked over the lot of them, had noticed how there was one egg still intact. It was large, a little larger than an ostrich egg, with a pale blue colouring alongside maroon specks dotted around it. Lance pondered for a moment. This one egg survived what must've been another type of creature's meal and it didn't look as though it would survive on its own. Therefore, Lance decided he would look after it. Easy as that. 

"Lance, put it back." Keith said, frowning at the idiot of a blue paladin. He was responded to by a loud gasp as if he hadn't expected Keith to even suggest such a thing.

"I wouldn't do that to my child!" Lance replied, a hand placed over his heart, "That's neglect." 

"It's not even yours." Keith tried again. 

"Neglect." Lance emphasised the 't', cradling the egg to his chest. It wasn't too heavy, really, but Lance had to use both hands to hold it due to its size. 

Keith just rolled his eyes. He couldn't argue, and he honestly didn't want to argue. He folded his arms over his chest and frowned, continuing to walk with Lance a few metres behind him. Lance was quietly cooing to his adopted egg. The other Paladins were a small distance ahead of them, having seen Lance pick the egg up but not expecting him to decide to take it. Keith heard the baby talk a few minutes later and would've turned around to tell him that the creature inside the egg couldn't hear him had they not been boarding the yellow lion. The others' faces when they saw the egg in Lance's arms were amusing though, that was an upside. 

"Lance... Why do you still have the egg?" Shiro asked, sounding as though he'd probably expected something like this from Lance. He looked over at the boy with an expectant eyebrow raised. 

"We couldn't just leave it there, it could've been killed." Lance replied, "It's mother didn't even seem to be around and I couldn't just leave it on its own." Keith was expecting Shiro to tell him to put it back but, instead, Shiro seemed to understand with a sigh and nod. 

"Okay, but you're explaining to Allura if she gets annoyed." Keith wanted to protest against that, instead just staring at Shiro with the most betrayed look he could muster. Shiro either decided to ignore him or didn't notice because he looked down at the egg, reaching out to gently pat it. "Take good care of it, parenting is hard."

"Seeing mother hen Lance is something I'm looking forward to." Pidge piped up. 

"But, what if Allura says no, there's always that possibility." Hunk suggested. Pidge poked his side and he frowned at her, perching on his seat, getting Yellow ready to return to the castle. 

"Let's hope she doesn't." Lance said. 

 

*

 

"I've never seen such an egg before!" Coran exclaimed, gently turning the egg around in his hands as he inspected it. Allura peered over his shoulder, squinting at it as though she didn't trust it. Probably because none of them knew what type of creature was in it. "And you say you found it amongst others who didn't make it?" Lance nodded. "Well, we must look after it! I want to see what it is. Princess, shall we wait for it to hatch?" He looked back at the princess expectantly, waiting for a reply. 

"I guess so. It would be splendid if it a peaceful creature." Allura replied, finally looking from the egg and up to Lance, "It is your responsibility." She said, eyes giving Lance not a chance to turn out of it. Not like he wanted to, he wanted to turn out of it. He knew he'd have to deal with it as soon as he had picked it up. Hell to the no was he going to let someone else take care of it. He was just praying it was a peaceful creature so they could keep it. But, if it wasn't a peaceful little guy, Lance would have to scold him. Bad, bad little creature.

Lance, now happy with the fact he could look after the egg, grinned at the two of them. He shifted the egg in his arms so he could use his free hand to give the two of them a playful, yet grateful, salute before turning and carrying the egg back to his room. He was planning to make a little nest for it, surrounding it in a soft warmth created by cushions and extra blankets he could find around his room. He knew bird eggs needed warmth, preferably a heat lamp or something when they didn't have a mother to look after them, but Lance wasn't sure if Alteans had anything like a heat lamp. He could ask. Yeah, he might ask later.

Lance glanced down at the egg in his hands as he walked. The mystery of what alien it was had him curious. He couldn't help but want it to hatch already, but he wanted the little thing to be alright and healthy therefore do not hatch prematurely! But, what could it be? A bird like on Earth? A really cute fluffy alien thing? Maybe something that resembled a shark. Boy, would Lance love that. Oh shit! What if it was a water alien?! It might die if it hatched on land! Wait... The egg wouldn't be on land on the first place if it was a water animal. It's okay, crisis averted.

Lance had been too busy looking down at the egg, trying to figure out what it could possibly be, that he hadn't seen Keith stop a few metres in front of him. He carried on with his step, right up until he heard someone clear their throat. His head flicked up as he came to an immediate stop. He would've karate chopped Keith in surprise had the sudden lack of distance not shocked him. Keith didn't even flinch despite the slight reddening of his cheeks. Lance had stopped as soon as he had heard him, and Keith had noticed how close the two had been to colliding. Therefore, there was barely a gap between them, their noses centimetres a part. If Lance leaned in just a tad... And he started to ever so slightly move forward but then his mind clicked back into place and he did the exact opposite. With a red face, he took a large step back. Keith wasn't phased although there was a look that flashed in his eyes and his shoulders slumped slightly as though he was disappointed with the distance. Maybe that was just Lance's mind playing tricks on him. 

They stood there in awkward silence. Usually it would be Lance to initiate the conversation but he would much rather run away. He'd been so close to kissing Keith. That would've been such a massive mistake. God... He really hoped the other hadn't noticed it. He had been pining after the hot-headed idiot ever since that bonding moment that Lance did remember. Just at the time, he'd been refusing to feel anything other than a healthy anger of a rivalry towards Keith. If he just convinced himself he didn't remember, then he'd forget, but that was so much harder than he expected. Every time Keith had a conversation with him, Lance found himself growing more and more fonder of the male. It was weeks after that Lance had finally let himself accept the fact he was falling for the boy in red. 

Had he known the fond looks Keith gave him when he wasn't looking, he'd understand that Keith had already accepted the fact that the blue paladin meant a heck of a lot to him. He had accepted that as soon as he'd seen Lance on the floor, bruised and bleeding, from the explosion. The protectiveness that has flowed through his system and overwhelming panic that filled him completely, both feelings had made it hard for him to turn away and leave. But he had had to fulfil his duty as a paladin. 

Keith coughed to clear his throat and to break the far too awkward, a fist covering his mouth and hopefully his pinkened cheeks. "So... Allura's letting you keep the egg then?" That was all Lance needed to whack right back into his normal self.

"Yep." He popped the 'p' on his lips, "I've got a few ground rules for when it's born." Keith's eyebrow rose. "No bad language, no fighting and no knives. That makes it a bad environment. Don't want to negatively influence the little guy. I know, I know, that's like banning you from seeing him... But it's gotta happen." 

Keith looked as though he was going to protest but then just sighed. He knew he wouldn't win. "You better parent it well then."

"Hell yeah I will." Lance grinned over at him, holding the egg gently in his arms. He looked down at it for a moment before looking back up at Keith, the grin being replaced by a small smile. "Hey, d'you wanna hold it?" He asked. He knew it was probably a stupid question to Keith, it was just an egg. However, Keith nodded silently and stepped closer. He left a safe distance between them before holding out his hands for Lance to place the egg in them. When he did, Keith slowly pulled it back to his chest and looked down at it. His movements were slow, his touch was gentle, as though he was terrified he would break the egg. Lance... Well, Lance was mesmerised by how Keith looked as though he'd just been trusted with something so delicate. "What do you think it is?" Lance finally spoke again after a few long moments of silence. Keith looked up from the egg and back at Lance at the sound of his voice. 

"Some type of llama thing?" Keith suggested, genuinely looking rather confused. The answer was so... strange. Lance couldn't help but laugh. "What? You asked for what I thought it would be." Keith frowned and extended his arms out to hand the egg back to Lance. 

"A llama thing?" Lance asked through his giggles as he took the egg off of him, "It's an egg, Keith. Llamas are mammals." 

"A platypus is too but they lay eggs." Keith retorted. 

"But llamas don't." 

"How do you know space llamas don't lay eggs?" 

And then Lance was laughing again. This absolute dork! A llama alien that lays eggs. And to think Lance always believed Keith to be an asshole emo when this young man had a heart of gold. That was shown when Keith had 'cradled him in his arms'. Keith was frowning even more, his arms crossing over his chest to return to his 'hothead' stance. His eyes were averted and looking at the ground at Lance's feet. He was embarrassed. Lance had been into this guy for long enough to read him. Yet, there were times where Lance had not a clue. 

"Hey, for all we know, it could be a llama alien." Lance shrugged. He didn't want Keith to feel embarrassed. He noticed how Keith looked back up at him, his arms relaxing over his chest and his shoulders lowering from where they had risen to. It may have been a posture they'd all grown to associate with Keith but it was also something much more than just a way of standing. It was as though Keith was trying to protect himself. A protective barrier, hiding back inside his shell. That's why Lance hated seeing him embarrassed. "Anyway, I gotta go get this little guy all warm and cosy. See ya around, mullet." 

"See ya, Lance."

Lance then continued on his walk to his room, ready to set his little makeshift nest up for the egg. He noticed how Keith watched him go, eyes following him as he went passed. However, he didn't notice the fond upturn of his lips. 

"Now let's see what you are." Lance mumbled as his gaze trailed down to the egg, "You better not hatch and try to kill me."


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, just pointing out that lance is referred to as the red paladin, Allura the blue and Keith the red.

Lance sat on the edge of his bed, elbows resting on his his knees and his chin resting on his interlocked fingers. His bottom lip poked out slightly in a pout and his knee bobbed ever so slightly causing his arm and head to bounce with it. Across from him was a pile of blankets and pillows he'd managed to scavenge from around the castle. In that pile was the egg, still unhatched but warm and cosy. Lance had added more and more blankets as time went on, causing the egg to become hotter and hotter. That hopefully would head.

Yet, it had been days! Three days to be exact. The egg still had shown no signs of hatching. Lance was starting to lose patience. Usually he was a decently patient person but the curiosity was killing him. He wanted to know what the alien was. Everyone did. The amount of times one of the others would pop around just to check up on the egg's activity was innumerable. Well, everyone except Keith, who seemed as though he was trying to keep his distance. Lance found himself worrying that the almost-kiss in the halls had made Keith uncomfortable. He hadn't meant to do that, that hadn't been his intention. He hadn't planned on almost kidding him, that was a pure accident, it just sort of happened. Lance found himself both gutted he hadn't gone for it and regretting the fact he'd even thought about it in the first place. It was never going to happen. 

Back to the egg. Lance sighed and rolled his shoulders back, feeling more than hearing the satisfying cracks on his bones. His back arched and his arms stretched above his head as he tilted his head from side to side. Sitting around and doing nothing was not fun. Lance had long legs, they needed exercise. However, Allura had told Lance that he was responsible for the new addition to the Voltron family, plus, she'd told him to check on the egg as much as he could when he was out of the room. Despite that, he couldn't always check on the egg, sure it was his new child but, a dad's gotta live a little. Leave him be. 

"Hey, little guy." Lance said quietly, wanting to do anything to break the silence. He was aware of how he was talking to an egg that probably didn't understand a thing he was saying but he didn't care. It had become a habit. "Mind popping out soon? All this waiting around is boring. I'm too interested in what you might be that I don't want to wait for much longer." He sighed, "Pretty please, cherry on top, hatch soon." He leant over to the built-in bed side table to pick up the glass of water Hunk had brought him that morning. He knew Lance wanted to be with the egg for most of the day so he had decided to give him a snack of food goo which tasted a heck of a lot like strawberries and a glass of water. Perks of having the cook as your best friend. 

"Come on, buddy, hatch please. You'll have a great family. I mean, everyone's really cool. Shiro is like the bravest dude ever. You'd like him, he's like... My idol." He smiled softly as he looked down at the glass in his hands. "Pidge is really smart, like she's a complete genius in all the sciences. Hunk is my best friend! He's the kindest guy I know. Allura and Coran are super strong, they've been through so much." Lance was just letting the words tumble from his mouth without a second thought. He was alone, just him and the egg, so he didn't have anything to worry about. "Then there's Keith." He paused for a brief second, "I'm pretty sure I've fallen for him, like really hard. That mullet head is a complete asshole, I don't know what I see in him." He cleared his throat, suddenly wanting to change the subject, "So, please hatch. You'll meet some great people."

No cracking replied so he let out a small sigh. God damn it... He just wanted it to hatch. Yes, he wanted to look after the little thing but he was getting way too impatient. Lance sighed and carded his hand through his hair before standing. He put the glass of water to his lips and tipped his head back slightly, letting the cool liquid slip down his throat. He took a step towards the door, aiming to get out of the room and take a short stroll. However, just as he turned, he saw Pidge standing in the open doorway, arms crossed and a smirk on her lips. Her sudden appearance made him let out a screech of surprise and jumped in shock, successfully spilling water everywhere. Most falling onto the fort of blankets covering the egg. 

"How long have you been there?!" Lance exclaimed. 

"Ever since, 'I've fallen for him'. I knew you had a crush on him! Hunk owes me a meal." Pidge said, beaming over at Lance as if she'd just won the lottery. Well, with Hunk's cooking, it was equivalent to that. Lance let out a whine. The crush was meant to be secret! How did Hunk and Pidge know?

"Is it that obvious?" Lance sighed, shoulders deflating and his now empty glass being held at his side, averting hide gaze to look down at the suddenly-incredibly-interesting floor. Pidge just laughed at him. "Does everyone know?"

"Everyone." Pidge replied. That had Lance tensing. Did Keith know? God... That's so embarrassing! Lance felt his heart clench. Keith would reject him, there was no doubt about it. The two of them only had just started to properly get along. "Except for Keith, that guy is completely oblivious. How he doesn't notice is beyond me." So he didn't know. Lance let out a long breath he didn't realise he'd been holding. Relief let him look back up at Pidge. "There's a heck of a lotta water on your egg's blanket fort."

Lance's eyes widened and he immediately whirled around to see damp blankets soaked through with the water from when he spilt it from his glass. Quickly bending down to remove the wet blankets from around the egg, he shot an accusing glare at Pidge. It was her fault that the egg was going to get cold now. Wet and cold, they were horrible when mixed together. He used one of the dry edges of the blankets to wipe the wetness off the egg's surface, mumbling an apology to it and he picked it up in order to place it on his bed. 

"It was all nice and cosy. Why'd you have to scare me?" Lance jutted his bottom lip out in a pout and looked back at Pidge once the egg had been successfully tucked underneath his bed's covers. However, Pidge wasn't looking at him. She was looking passed him and at the egg with slowly widening eyes. Lance's pout was replaced by a look of confusion, pinched eyebrows and a tilted head before he turned around to look at the egg. 

His own eyes shot wide at the sight. It was glowing. It was actually glowing! A soft baby blue light enveloped the room, illuminating across the duo's faces and out through the open door. It was growing brighter, to the point Lance had to squint and watch it through his lashes. Was it hatching? The glow stopped growing brighter and a soft hum filled the room. It was a gentle noise, sounding like a mother humming a quiet lullaby to her sleeping child. It made Lance's chest clench with the memory of his own mother. Why was it hatching so suddenly? Did something provoke it? Wait... He knew. Water! 

Lance looked down at the glass that was in his hand. There was still a little bit more in there. Maybe he could speed up the process, or at least help ease it along. The red paladin took a few hesitant steps forward, averting his eyes away from the glow. The brightness of it was enough to make his eyes water and sting, even with that gentle lullaby. He raised the glass above the egg before tipping it, letting the water spill out and onto the egg. The egg immediately reacted by growing even brighter, causing Lance to stumble back and turned around to face away completely whilst squeezing his eyes shut. 

"I'm getting the others!" Pidge announced and dashed out of the room. Lance just nodded. 

There was a few more long moments of glowing before the light Lance could still see through his eyelids faded suddenly. Lance hesitantly blinked his eyes open. That was when the chirping started, like a chick wanting food from their parent. Lance slowly turned around to face the bed. His eyes widened once again at the sight before him. There was no more egg. It had disappeared, there wasn't even any egg shells. 

But there, right in front of him and watching Lance with round, slitted glowing eyes, was a little blue dragon.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i seriously need to catch up on sleep

News travelled fast. Pidge had collected the others fairly quickly. It hadn't taken them long to curiously get their asses into Lance's room to find the Red Paladin humming a soothing lullaby to a dragon in his arms. It was an odd sight. One; because, to humans, dragons were meant to be myths and completely fictional. Had they known dragons were real... That would be up for imagination. Though it was pretty clear that the press would go wild. And two; because Lance was humming a lullaby to a newly-hatched creature in his arms. 

"It's a dragon." Hunk said once everyone had gathered in the room, his eyes wide and jaw dropped in shock at the creature cradled in Lance's arms. 

Its scales were a pale blue, glittered with silver. If the scales caught the light just right, it would send off a bright shine. The creature was Lance's arm length, its body was thin and snake-like. There were silver feathers at the end of its long tail, small yet incredibly soft. Its eyes were slitted, mostly white aside from the glowing blue lines. The scales on its forehead were much more concentrated, there were many more there all gathered close together. Its beak was small and blunt at the tip, yet it did have the potential to cut if it was jabbed hard enough. It was four-legged, all ending with three-clawed feet. Wings were tucked neatly at its side, glittering just like the scales on its body. The most beautiful thing about the creature though, was the silver gems that were encrusted between the scales just below the dragon's eyes. If they caught the light, it was almost as though they were filled with their own galaxies, billions of stars trapped in one single gem. 

The little guy already had taken a major liking to Lance. Its tail was wrapped around his forearm, the soft feathers tickling his skin. Like a cat, it would bump its head on Lance's chest in search of affection which he would reply to with a gentle pat on the head. It chirped happily in response. 

"Not a dragon." Coran replied, peering over Hunk's shoulder to look down at the little creature with a fascinated expression on his face, "A Ftugy." The little alien raised its head to look up at him as if it understood him. "They're incredibly rare, almost extinct." That made Lance look down at it in shock, the creature raising its own head to look back up at him with a little click of the beak. "They can grow up to be powerful beings. They're peaceful creatures, they don't like to harm others. They are most commonly used for powering strong weapons."

"Why?" Pidge asked. 

"Because their blood holds a property called Henegon. It is a powerful fuel for weapons, enough to destroy a whole planet. We, Alteans, never used them, it involves killing the poor Ftugy in order to collect enough blood." Coran's eyes had dulled from their usual lively light.

"They were used in the battle of Altea and Daibazaal. It was their blood that charged the weapon that destroyed Altea..." Allura said, her voice holding a faint sense of mourning.

Then it was like a switch was flicked. Coran grinned wide and let out a happy, 'Hoo hoo!'. "I've never seen one so close before! Especially a baby. They are certainly as beautiful as I've been told. It's a surprise that you found one on land, they are usually found in water." That explained how water seemed to have got the little thing to hatch.

"The colours match you, Lance." Shiro pointed out. They did, indeed. Blue and blue, sparkly and bright just like Lance's soul. At least he hoped his soul was pretty, he wasn't called pretty boy Lance for nothing. "It needs a name." Shiro said, hesitantly reaching out to the Ftugy. It's eyes shot towards the movement and a series of clicks and chirps left its throat before it slowly bumped its beak against his hand. He was right, it needed a name. The millions of options suddenly came to mind.

Poseidon was the first name that popped into his head. Seeing as it responded to water pretty well. Plus, it sparkled, just like some type of ethereal being. But then other names seemed to rise in his mind. There were so many to choose from. Freddie? Nah, too plain for a bloody dragon. He already had a Blue in his life, no one else could take her name. He wanted it to be water-related but not be some cringy cliche. He racked his mind for ideas. It seemed like hours even if it had been a couple of minutes when an idea came to mind.

"Agua." He said, voice filled with certainty, "It's water in Spanish." He explained. He looked down at Agua and found the dragon staring up at him with those gorgeous glowing eyes. "I shall call you Agua and you shall be my Agua." He smiled softly down at the little guy. 

"Did you just quote finding nemo?" Pidge asked, sounding rather finished with Lance altogether, arms folded and eyebrow arched. 

"What's a nemo? And why is it being found?" Allura questioned, looking between the two. The question earned laughter from all of the human occupants, aside from Keith who just huffed in amusement. Party pooper.

Keith was standing behind the lot, arms crossed and gaze averted. He didn't seem to show any signs of wanting to come any closer. Lance frowned slightly. Did he not want to meet the new addition to the Voltron family? Sure, he wasn't the most social person but Lance thought he would've at least seemed more interested in the little dragon. However, he did see Keith lean forward slightly, squinting his eyes just a tad as if he were trying to get a better look at Agua. Agua wasn't paying any mind to it, happy in the attention he was getting from the others in the room if his little continuous chirps were anything to go by. 

"Keith, come on, don't be shy." Lance said, trying to put as much teasing as he could into his voice as he jerked his head upwards in a universal sign of 'come here'. Keith looked rather hesitant. "He doesn't bite, if that's what you're scared of." That did the trick. The challenge in his words urged Keith to gently scooch his way to the front. His eyes were trained on the little creature as if daring it to bite him. He seriously just wanted to fight everything. That was just your Keith-typical trait. "Pet him or somethin', stop trying to kill him with your mind. You're not psychic." 

Keith just rolled his eyes - fondly, of course, Lance hoped - and tentatively reached a hand out to Agua. The alien seemed startled at first, a surprised series of whistles escaping its beak as its eyes zoned in on Keith's fingers. Keith's hand didn't stop in its route to pet the little creature on the head. Maybe it had been a little too fast, or he hadn't given Agua enough time to get used to him, because Agua was not happy. 

Those gorgeous glowing eyes flared and the feathers on its tail fluffed up. It reminded Lance of those birds who puffed out their feathers to seem more menacing than they really were. They'd ward of predators by making themselves seem bigger and much more dangerous. They'd try and make themselves look a heck of a lot less tasty than other things. Lance realised a few moments too late that Agua had put up a defensive stance. Keith only had a split second to stop his hand movement before Agua suddenly shot forward and his beak opened and enclosed around Keith's hand in a quick motion. It must've clamped down rather hard because Keith let out a surprised yelp and yanked his hand back. Agua reared his head back into Lance's chest. 

It left them all in a stunned silence. That was unexpected... Keith hadn't done anything wrong! He'd just been wanting to say hello and give him a little stroke. Lance looked down at Agua with a look that clearly stated, 'I'm going to have a talk with you, mister', but was met with a pair of innocent eyes. He then looked up at Keith who was frowning down at his bleeding finger as if it had just betrayed him. 

"Maybe I was lying when I said he didn't bite..." Lance said slowly. 

"Jesus, that looks pretty bad." Hunk said as he looked at the bite. He then made a noise close to gagging and pulled away, having to turn his back and place a hand over his mouth. "That's really, really bad." 

Lance couldn't see how bad it was from where he sat. But, from Hunk's reaction and a pain-filled crease of Keith's eyebrows, he guessed it was terrible. Shiro quickly moved from where he'd been sitting to Keith. There was a sharp intake of breath between teeth as he took Keith's wrist into his hand and inspected the wound. Lance felt that cold claw of guilt grip at his heart when he watched droplets of crimson make its way down Keith's finger, collecting at his knuckle then dripping onto the floor. 

"That went straight to the bone." Shiro frowned, looking back at Agua, "I thought you said they were peaceful creatures." 

"Mostly, unless they do not like you which, I must say, is in your case Keith." Coran said.

"Prepare a healing pod, Coran, it may be a small wound but it looks beyond painful." Allura said, earning a few curt nods from Keith. "Are you alright?"

Keith nodded again. He must've noticed the guilty expression on Lance's face because, when he looked up from his bleeding finger, he gave him a reassuring quirk of the lips. "Yeah, I'm okay." He said once he made eye contact with Lance. Lance felt a sense of relief overcome him when Keith didn't seem angry. It might've been a small wound but it still caused Keith pain and that was the last thing Lance wanted to happen. Then Keith's gaze dropped to Agua and his expression changed immediately. If looks could kill... Bye bye Agua... "But I hate him already."

Pidge clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth, "By the looks of it, the feeling's mutual."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this chapter was practically fluff  
> i promise it'll be filled with more fluff
> 
> however, if you came for the angst, it'll be here soon


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't know if the rooms in the castle have ensuites so i just kind of said that they did. 
> 
> thank you for the comments so far, you're all very sweet.

Agua had made himself at home in Lance's room. Lance wouldn't usually mind, he'd want Agua to be comfy and happy. However, that meant sacrificing half of his bathroom to the Ftugy. His bath was filled almost to the brim with water, it was a surprise it hadn't overspilled. Agua had dragged one of Lance's pillows from his bed and onto the floor by the tub as, Lance guessed, his own bed. It wasn't a surprise that Agua felt more at home in the water, Coran did say it was odd to see one on land. Well, guessing by the fact they had wings and, as Lance discovered on either side of its neck, extremely thin gills as well two nostrils in the beak and four legs, it had to spend time of land and the sky as well as the water. Now all it had to do was breathe fire and it was the avatar. 

However, he was not a happy young man. Being unable to use his own bath to clean, he had to use someone else's. Travelling long distance with the products such as the  shampoo and conditioners he'd collected from the space mall as well as lavender-smelling body lotions that Allura seemed to have a bunch off, it wasn't something he'd like to do. So, he decided to go to the nearest room to him. What he completely forgot was the fact that room just happened to belong to his crush. The legendary Keith Kogane. 

The door whooshed open and Lance choked on what he was going to say when he was met with a rather groggy-looking Keith. 

"What?" Keith's voice was rough and husky yet it was sharp, holding a sense of bitterness to it. He certainly didn't look impressed and his hair was a mess. He really needed to comb that mullet, tame that beast. His voice was oddly... nice, it was deeper than usual. Had Lance just woken him up? Oopsie daisie. 

"Woah, no need to get all snappy, Mr Grumpy Pants." Lance retorted with a frown. Keith just rolled his eyes and struck his signature 'Keith' pose with arms crossed and his weight resting on one leg. A tired scowl was plastered on his features as he glared at Lance. 

"I was sleeping."

"I couldn't tell." Lance replied, sarcasm oozing from his tone. 

"What do you want?" 

"To use your bathroom." 

"You have your own."

Grumpy, tired Keith was not something Lance enjoyed. As much as he lo- liked the guy, Lance really needed to teach him his manners as well as how to brush his teeth because, woah, his breath stunk! 

"Agua's using it." Lance replied. Keith's eyebrows pinched in confusion as he looked at Lance and his head tilted ever so slightly to the side. Great, there was that puppy-like look of confusion that made Lance's heart melt in a soft puddle of concentrated adoration. He momentarily felt his heart skip a beat. 

"Agua's using it?" Keith repeated in confusion. Lance nodded. He'd never seen the former red paladin look so confused. 

"It's his new 'bedroom'." Lance replied, hoping to get his point across, "He likes the water." Keith's confused expression shifted into something more skeptical. Did he not believe him? Lance poked his bottom lip out in a pout. What did Keith think he was going to do? Purposefully clog his bath up so it flooded? If he was being honest, Lance wouldn't put that passed himself. He jostled the cleaning products in his arms slightly to prove his point. "If you want to be responsible for my stink, by all means, don't let me in."

Keith looked as though he were weighing out the options in his head. Lance waited for him to tell him that he should go try Hunk, see if he bought his 'lie', but what he got instead was a long, drawn-out sigh and a, "Fine" as Keith stepped to the side to allow him in. 

Lance stood there, blinking at him as if he'd suddenly grown a second head. Did Keith just give him permission to use his bathroom? Well, that actually was a surprise. He slowly stepped into the room, keeping his head high as he held his products close to his chest. Keith just watched him walk passed with an eyebrow quirked upwards before letting the door slide shut. 

Lance had forgotten how clean the room was. Last time he'd been in here, it had been due to his insecurity on the team. Since then, he'd somehow found his footing for the time being. However, he felt like he was walking on uneven ground, that if he took one wrong step, he'd be out for the count. Keith may not have given the best advice, it was the thought that was there. But, yes, the room was still tidy as ever. Lance couldn't figure out if it was due to Keith's lack of items or the idea he might be a neat freak. That was a possibility. 

He walked straight into the bathroom, not sparing a look back. Only then did it dawn on him. He was going to be showering in his crush's room. Naked. With only a door separating them. The thought caused heat to rise up in his cheeks. He should leave, go to Hunk. That would be more comfortable, wouldn't it? No! Nope. Nopity nope nope. He was not turning around and leaving, especially with all his things in his arms. They were getting hard to carry. Plus, Keith already let him in. He couldn't just leave now. 

Awkwardly clearing his throat, Lance made his way into the already-open ensuite bathroom. Alteans sure did have many perks in this castle. He set his many things upon the sink's countertop with a relieved sigh to get them off of his hands. He was going to have a shower, he decided. He usually took baths as they were much more relaxing and eased his aching muscles after a fight with the galra. However, showers were so much quicker and he'd love to get out of here as quickly as possible. 

He turned around to lock the door to the bathroom only to see Keith lying in his bed across the room. He had his dagger up, held above him as he seemed to be observing his reflection in the blade. Lance found himself pausing, head tilting to the side ever so slightly as he watched the former red paladin. He looked so at ease with his dagger in his hand. It was odd really, how someone could look so calm whilst holding a weapon that could be dropped and cut him. 

Lance didn't realise he was staring. 

"Aren't you meant to be using my bathroom?" Keith asked, speaking first before his head rolled to the side to lock eyes with the Cuban. He must've seen Lance in the reflection of his dagger or something. As soon as the words started leaving Keith's mouth, Lance flailed his arms in shock before hastily raising his hand and pressing the button to lock the door in his panic. 

As soon as the door shut, Lance let out a breath of relief. That looked casual, right? Boy, what was he on about? He probably had looked like a complete idiot. His cheeks were burning and he was sure his face was rivalling a tomato. Jeez... He just prayed Keith didn't notice he'd been flat-out staring. How can someone be so unfairly gorgeous? 

Okay, now onto the showering. His cheeks were still red as he climbed out of his clothes and placed them on the rack on the wall. He was going to get this over and done with. Then he won't be nude anywhere near Keith again. He just hoped Keith was still playing with his blade.

Little did he know that Keith was sitting up in his bed, knife having been placed on the bed beside him and a blushing face in his hands. The guy he'd been pining after was showering in his bathroom. His fingers parted so he could peer through the gap at the closed door to the bathroom. Don't think about it. Keith groaned and dropped back into his pillows. That was harder said than done.

It was one of the fastest showers Lance had ever had but he still smelled positively of lavender. As soon as he got out of the shower, he unconsciously turned to have his back to the door. Just in case. He trusted Keith not to open it but he couldn't help but feel slightly nervous. He wasn't embarrassed by his body whatsoever, he was pretty proud of it. Broad shoulders, long toned legs, he didn't have any abs but he was working towards that. He was a man made for speed and flexibility. 

Grabbing the soft blanket they'd all determined were towels, he dried his body off. It took another few minutes before he felt dry enough that he would dampen his clothes. It was lucky that each room had two towel-like materials otherwise Lance wouldn't know what he'd do. He draped the towel over the rack next to his clothes.

Lance then quickly began shimmying his underwear and jeans on. He tugged on his shirt, it was slightly off-white thanks to what its been through after they'd all entered space. He needed to figure out how to wash it properly, he'd done his best but it only made it smell nicer. Turning to check himself out in the mirror, he ran a hand through his damp hair to push it off of his forehead. Little droplets landed on his forehead and he quickly wiped them off. He'd deal with that when he got back to his room. 

Taking a deep breath, Lance gathered his products back into his arms again and walked to the door to unlock it. The door immediately slid open and he was met with the sight of Keith's head whipping around to look at him. Lance put on his trademark smirk. 

"Thanks for that, mullet." He said, "I'm all squeaky clean." 

Keith's gaze dropped to the items in Lance's arms. "You know you can leave them here if you want." That had Lance's smirk disappearing as he blinked down at the stuff in his arms. "I mean... You can, um, use my bathroom when you need to. I'm the closest room to you so..." Keith awkwardly added.

Was that an open invitation for Lance to come whenever he needed to? Lance's eyes widened a fraction. He had planned to go to Hunk's next time. And the time after. And the time after that. He stuttered over his reply, trying to figure out how to rephrase it. 

"But you don't need to." Keith said quickly, noticing Lance's struggling of finding an answer. Lance watched as Keith's expression shifted into a small frown. Was that disappointment? Maybe he just wanted to be helpful. 

"Thanks for the offer. It would be annoying to keep carrying these back and forth." Lance said quickly before he could stop himself. Why was he putting himself in this situation? The small smile of accomplishment on Keith's features was sure worth it though. He walked back into the bathroom, dumping his products on the counter beside the sink. "Uh... I don't know how you want this all set up."

"I'll deal with it in a bit." Keith replied, his voice much closer than it was before. Lance quickly spun around to see him leaning on the doorway with his arms folded. Typical Keith pose making its second appearance. "Smells of lavender in here. I haven't smelled that in ages." Keith inhaled deeply, eyes shutting briefly. There was something so... gentle about the sight that Lance couldn't bring himself to look away. When those beautifully-violet eyes opened again, their gazes locked. They just stared at each other for a long moment, Lance found himself starting to get lost in those eyes. Keith's features were soft, his eyebrows were sloped upwards slightly and a small smile curved at his lips. 

Keith was the first to look away. Lance couldn't help but feel a slight pang of hurt. He shouldn't feel upset about that, he knew that, but he couldn't help it. He cleared his throat awkwardly and gave Keith one of his best grins he could muster. "Well, I gotta go check on Agua. He better not be making a mess of the room." He laughed shortly to himself, his hand reaching up to rub at the back of his neck, "Uh, thanks for letting me use your bathroom. See ya around, samurai." He gave a two-fingered salute before hurrying passed the black paladin. 

He was out the door before Keith could even form a reply.


End file.
